Currently Untitled Adventures of an Unknown SeeD
by ARWard
Summary: When Squall and Company are sent to Esthar to defend the President from would be assassins, one SeeD finds more than she bargained for: she must work with a reformed Seifer Almasy to keep the city safe, and deal with shadows of her past.
1. Overture

_Hi friends! After many many months/years of deliberation, I have decided to share this with the world and it is (mostly) completed. Enjoy! =)_

CHAPTER ONE: OVERTURE 20/6 (MONDAY)

the world has never been a simple place: the complex organisms that inhabit it build and thrive on its soil, creating lives for themselves. From the smallest ant, to the largest bird, they lived their lives day to day, becoming stronger, and more self-sufficient as time went by.

The humans too, fought and struggled, often against themselves. Galbadia and Esthar warred over technology, bickered over diplomacy. The sorceresses came and created havoc for anyone who got in there way. It was the same not long ago: Balamb GARDEN had fought against Galbadia's best, combining their small forces with Esthar to defeat a sorceress from the future and bring a relative peace to the world.

Balamb GARDEN was the pride and joy of Edea and Cid Kramer. They constructed it over an old Centrian mobile shelter 20 years ago.

It one of the few reasons the GARDEN had survived after its larger counterpart, Galbadian GARDEN had fired on it in retaliation for an attack on their president. After Cid Kramer's hasty decision, the academy had floated for days before crashing into fisherman's Horizon, where they repaired it, and given the ability to be piloted through the skies. 2 years had passed since that time, and only 6 months after the GARDEN became a mobile fortress, did the then new headmistress decommission the GARDEN, removing its motility capabilities, and grounding it back in the heartland of Balamb. Over time, everything was returning to normal.

At least, that's what they thought. The warriors of the final battle lived everyday with their scars. They ached, dealt with their turmoil and put their masks on to survive.

Squall Leonhart was the figurehead for the war: the saviour, the hero. The hero that was confined to his desk chair, day in, day out, co-signing forms, commissioning missions and aching for his blade to sing through flesh and bone as it once had. He signed what felt like the millionth form in a day, a small time mission in Winhill, when his private phone rang.

The GARDEN commander sighed, putting on a calm facade as he picked up the phone and tried not to bark into the receiver.

"Commander Leonhart's office," he answered in his strong tenor. He tried to keep his voice personable as he spoke, something he didn't bother to do any other time. If someone was calling him on his personal line, it called for a certain level of inter-personality. "Why didn't you call through the usual channels like a normal advisor? ...uh-huh... the president? We might be able to spare a group of seasoned... Me? Pardon Mr Seagil but don't you think that's a touch forward? ... I don't care who it is, you can't call MY number to commission my best SeeDs! ...how much... that can pay the entire cost of repairing Trabia with Gil to spare! I can't spare Quistis, she does too much here to keep our head above water... how seasoned? ... At least 2 years' experience... Call through reception, or fill in the paper work and email it to me. I don't want this looking any fishier than it already does. I'll have five qualified SeeDs contacted before the sun sets in Deling City... Rhodes City? I suppose they want to flex their political muscles. Regardless, they'll be ready for deployment tomorrow."

Squall hung up, resisting the human urge to throw the phone, and all his paperwork at the glass window. They had an army of their own, why did they need SeeD? Running his fingers through his dark hair, Squall crossed to his filing cabinet, scowling as he crouched with a click and pulled open the V-Z drawer, sifting through the files with long fingers until he came across the desired file.

A serious, pale faced brunette stared up at the commander in her identification photo. A wind affin Dragoon, trained in the old style of hand to hand combat and basic firearms, she had become a SeeD the year before Squall. He knew her well enough to know he could trust her with this job. He closed the drawer with a well-placed kick, file in hand and he crossed back to his desk. He picked up his phone, dialled a familiar number and waited.

"Hello?" a cheery woman answered, "I wasn't expecting to talk to you until later Squall!"

"Quistis," Squall said to his work partner, voice returning to a monotone, "Can I borrow Nida to run a quick errand?"

"Of course Squall...may I ask why?" Squall grunted his impatience, "you don't HAVE to tell me," she grouched.

"It's just as you guessed Quistis," Squall conceded, "they're under attack, and they need SeeDs." Squall explained the situation, and told the blonde headmistress that she would be staying behind.

"Then who else are you taking with you?"

"The only other person I can trust with this mission... White."

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Students bustled through the halls without care, travelling from lecture to lecture with bright smiles and a skip in their steps. As a lecture on the first sorceress war of almost twenty-five years ago came to its end, a dark haired, dark eyed girl's stomach began to rumble in its haste for nutrients. Caitlin White turned her attention to the derisive organ in annoyance as she bundled her laptop into her arms and hoisted her bag over her shoulder, muttering at it to wait just an hour more. Several students glanced at her as they took the stairs in a quick, but noisy way; giggling under their breaths as they realized that it was in fact that she was- AGAIN- talking to herself. A straggler within the group stared too long and Cait set and dark look down at the girl, who squeaked timidly and quickened her pace to meet up with her friends.

A satisfied smirk crossed over her pale face as she made her own way down the stairs in the lecture hall, grimacing as pain lanced through her left foot, as it did on most days. "I think there's a potion in my room..." mumbled to herself as she exited the second floor hall and made her way for the new staircase that would lead her to the hallway near her dormitory.

"Student 301-285-43: Caitlin White?" Cait turned on her heel, thick ponytail whacking her in the face as she peered at the dark haired man leaning against the wall. She squirmed as he gave her the once over through his bangs, a mixture of anger and intrigue in his green eyes.

"Yes Nida?" she asked him, resting her free hand on the edge of her hip, transferring almost all her weight onto her right foot. She didn't like to stand for too long when she spoke to people. The way she shifted and changed her stance due to the injuries in her feet often made people uncomfortable, like they were talking to a child who had consumed too much sugar in a short period of time. It also made Cait uncomfortable, not just because of the pain, but because people were impatient with her shifting stance, her ever changing focus: few tried for a second conversation. She thanked any God above that Nida was a succinct man, who got straight to the meat of it.

"Commander Leonhart requires your presence in his office in one hour in relation to a mission. He did not disclose the nature of the mission, but asked me to let you know that it might be something you'd enjoy." He bowed his head, as he did to most female SeeDs, and Cait felt a surge of pity for him. Ever since he had lost control of the GARDEN's movement, he had been a shell of a man, lost and drifting, like a bird whose wings had been clipped: he had gone from an eagle to a mere carrier pigeon. She thanked him and he left without another word. Shaking off the nagging feelings of pity she had for the Headmistresses personal assistant, Cait straightened her stance, shifted her weight between her toes and looked down the hallway.

"An hour, huh?" she muttered, peering towards the large, glass elevator at the end of the hall, "screw my essay, I'm gettin' me some grub!"

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Cait arrived at her dormitory five minutes after her conversation with Nida. She allowed the door to close with a swish behind her as she reached down to unzip her knee high flats. They did nothing for her feet on a structural level, but she liked them for the conformability and swelling room. She tossed them to the other side of the room, where they landed with a thud beside her seven foot spear, Obelisk. She smiled at the beautiful weapon, gifted to her on her eighteenth birthday by Jack, the man who trained her. It was a replacement for her old weapon, the fire engine-red Partisan, which she lost during the war. She turned her attention to the GARDEN issue phone, which sat on her little desk, piled high with papers and letters, blinking away. Her smile grew into a grin as she crossed to it and pressed the message play button. She listened to the speaker play her custom message to people who were fortunate enough to have her number, punched in her password (her birthday) and sat on her desk chair as the messages began to play. The first was from Squall, reiterating what Nida had told her moments ago, adding his own personal touch.

"It's an international job, and according to the records, you've never been further than Timber: so I'd say it's time to spread your democratic wings." Cait chuckled at the Commanders thought process, and smiled as a light voice filled the room.

"Caitie!" Cait could feel Hal's happiness even from over the phone. Hal kept her grounded when she felt overwhelmed by the world; a light in the darkness. He kept her alive in many ways after the war, "I know you're still in class, and I know you hate hearing bad news over the phone, but I wanted to let you know that John managed to break his leg this morning." Cait felt her stomach drop; John was the toughest person she knew, the man who had found her on the streets of Balamb, angry and full of hate. He turned her into someone more solid, more prepared to take on the world, even when it seemed futile. "He's okay of course," he continued, "his ego is the real thing hurt. They're keeping him in for a few day, but you know how he is, he's still telling them that he needs to go home- that there's nothing wrong with him." He laughed and Cait knew he must have been all right; if he could yell at the staff then it could definitely be a lot worse off.

"But even so, he'll be in hospital for the next week or so. If you get the chance, I know he'd love to hear from you, see how you're doing and everything. The rest of us would too, it's been too long since we've heard from you!" Cait listened and heard another familiar voice in the background: David was yelling something at Hal, who wrapped up his message with Cait before he hung up, David calling her name in the background. As Cait pulled on an orange hooded jumper, she declared that when she got back from her meeting with Leonhart and a quick dinner that she would call her friends back and have a good long conversation with them.

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Thoughts of her potential new mission made Cait's pulse race as she entered the elevator with four other students, who departed on the second floor. She hummed along with the music as the machine continued its ascent, curious so to what this new mission would hold.

"Commander Squall Leonhart and Headmistress Quistis Trepe's office: have a pleasant day," the computerized female said kindly as the doors opened.

"Thanks!" Cait chirped at it as she walked out of the elevator. The blonde receptionist gave Cait a familiar smile as she activated the intercom.

"Miss White for you sir," she said, tapping her fingers against the machine as she awaited an answer. It came after a high-pitched squeak that made Cait cover her ears with a grimace. "Megan, Squall's gone off for a bathroom break," a cheery, all too bubbly female replied, "Caitie can come in, considering she's LATE!" Cait laughed aloud as the door swung open to allow her access.

"I'm not late," she told the short haired brunette who occupied Squall's high backed leather chair. "I'm the only other sucker here, and they're not busted up like I am." She added, jabbing a long finger at the girl, who began to munch on a chocolate as Cait entered, feeling the door close behind her with a swish.

Squall's office never ceased to amaze her; it was all dark wood and leathers, with a window along the entire length of the northern wall, so that he always had a good view of the distant beaches and closer forests. She knew of the little door on the western edge, that lead off to a small bathroom and not so small entertainment system; it was also the thoroughfare to Quistis' airy office. Cait took a seat in one of the smaller chairs, across from Selphie Tilmitt, who pulled a half melted chocolate from the pocket of her short yellow overalls and tossed it to her friend, who caught it and sat it on her lap.

"We're busted up too," she argued in a defiant tone as she flipped her forever short hair from her green eyes, "...but then I suppose we were category one, and were handled pretty fast. You should ask Squall to move you name up the list some." Cait shook her head, knowing that the little woman would do anything for anyone, especially her friends.

The pair chatted for several minutes- or rather, Selphie talked while Cait listened, nodding when appropriate and only replying when Selphie asked her an actual question. The smaller's tirade about the treatment of her pygmy Chocobo was ended as the door swished open. The pair turned to the door and waved at Irvine Kinneas, who entered with his usual swagger, as if it were normal for him to adjust EVERYTHING he was wearing and then grin at the pair like he was surveying a delicious meal. Cait set her face in a half-hearted glare as he crossed to plunk himself in the seat next to her, his midnight blue eyes looking at her.

"That's all I get?" he asked in his faded Galbadian accent, "I come bearing gifts and all I get is a wave?" the pair shrugged in unison as Cait reached over to muss up his auburn fauxhawk.

"I'm sure you did cowboy," Selphie teased as he stared at Cait, reaching up to straighten his short hair. He reached into his pocket and pulled a squashed sandwich from its depths. Cait and Selphie looked at each other and grimaced. "All right, all right, fine!" he conceded, head drooping, "I didn't bring ya anythin', but can ya blame me for tryin'?" Cait plucked the sandwich from the sharpshooters hand as he looked at Selphie. She turned it over in her hands, tilting her head to one side as she examined it.

"You can keep it," she decided, tossing it back into his lap without giving him a look. He snatched it up and poked his tongue out at her.

Cait had met the so-called 'heroes' 3 months after the War had ended. Rehabilitation was a challenge at the best of times, and one evening she found herself alone, at the mercy of a vicious T-Rexaur.

In retrospect, Cait knew she had been reckless. She had thrown the spear, crying in out in pain from exertion. It turned and roared once, lumbering towards her, head thrashing, irritated by the spear. When she was six feet away, Cait pushed herself up towards the sky, using a draft to keep her afloat as the rex paused, confused. Cait came to the ground, looking left and right for a makeshift weapon.

She looked too long. The rex had a mate, and he wasn't afraid to rake his claws across Cait's back. Pain shot through her, sharp and hot, and the next thing she knew the training centre was sideways, and the rexaur's were getting closer.

Then the centre flashed bright white, and the monsters collapsed, eyes closed as they slept. There was a voice cursing, which sounded far away

A hand touched her shoulder, and she heard a cry of pain that she realized later had come from her. "What were you doing out here by yourself?" the stranger's voice was frantic, tearing the fabric of Cait's shirt away from the long wounds.

Cait felt far away, drifting as the stranger healed her wounds with countless potions, but soon enough the wounds closed, one by one, until all that was left was a series of angry scars and blood. A moment later, Cait was staring at the metal roof of the training centre, sucking in deep breaths as she was looked over. "M'fine," she grumbled, pushing herself into a sitting position. She looked to the left where the sounds of her saviour's voice came from.

"Feel better?" the blonde man asked, rubbing a gloved hand across his tattooed cheek, "pretty dumb idea to take on 2 of them," he commented, narrowing his blue eyes at her. Cait shrugged half-heartedly, dragging her hands through her hair, eyes narrowed. "Have you got a death wish?"

"Some days," the words came out before she could think the question through, the blonde blinked, taken aback, before standing and offering her his hand. Cait took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. She thanked him and he smiled, "I got stupid," she added, folding her arms a moment after she dropped his hand.

"We all do sometimes," he replied, shrugging his broad shoulders, "c'mon, you should get cleaned up."

He ordered her to the showers and waited for her to rinse the blood away from her body. She exited 10 minutes later, clean and dressed from head to toe in black. "You waited?" she asked, shaking her wet hair out over her shoulders.

"Wanted to make sure you were alright," he offered, watching a little smile come to her face.

"Thanks, I'm Cait," she said, sticking her hand towards him. He took it and shook it, a grin on his tanned face.

"Zell."

The door swished open again, and this time only Cait turned at the stocky, vibrant blonde strolled into the room. Although it seemed that stormed would have been a better term; Zell Dincht's blue eyes were downcast as he swept the room, allowing a tiny smile for his friends before he swore, pushing his sweater sleeves up past his elbows. "Leonhart called me up here- from my DINNER- and now he's not even here?" the silence was answer enough for him, as he swore again and punched the door hard.

"You can have some of Irvine's sandwich," Selphie suggested, a devious smirk playing on her face. The red-head nodded his agreement, offering his blonde friend the sandwich. Cait alone remained horrified, trying to get Zell's ever-wandering attention without waving her arms like a maniac.

The hungry teen took the sandwich lightning fast with one hand as he scratched his tattooed arm with the other. The tattoo was nothing fancy; just more tribal swirls that curled around the muscles of his upper and left forearm. He unwrapped the food with swift hands and stuffed half of it into his mouth.

The trio watched him chew for a moment before turning a delicate shade of green. Instinct must have taken over because Cait watched in surprise as he spat the half-chewed piece of food back into its wrapper, sheer horror etched into his face. He turned his attention to Irvine and croaked;

"How long has that been sitting in your God-damn pocket?" Irvine raised a long finger to his chin, tapping his jaw, eyes narrowed. He turned to Zell and shrugged. "GOD DAMMIT IRVINE ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!" the sentence broke off in an angry scream as the blonde launched at the gunman, whose eyes widened in shock as their bodies connected with a thud, sending them straight into the path of Cait, whose chair plummeted to the ground as she stared at her two friends from the edge of the desk.

"I suppose that warrants a point for quick thinking."

Cait and Selphie turned their heads to glance at Squall Leonhart, who was watching his two friends wrestle on the ground in annoyance. Cait shrugged, half a smirk on her face.

"He started it," Zell offered as an explanation a moment later, after Selphie had beaten him over the head for his rudeness and he had taken her place in the same seat as Cait. He looked at his friend, who sighed, just as Squall did, making Zell and Selphie giggle, like only Cait and Squall often did. "Stupid Irvine..."Zell added, glaring at him. Cait watched Irvine, who was staring at Squall, ignoring Zell.

"So Squall," Cait began, wiping the mocking look from her eyes as her SeeD instincts took over, "Nida told me you had a good mission for me?" Squall shook his head, brown hair falling into his dark eyes.

"You fluctuate like mad..." he mumbled under his breath, "but your right, there IS a new mission that's just been approved. Rather, it's a mission for the five of us; Kiros Seagil of the presidential guard in Esthar called me approximately two and a half hours ago, requesting two things. The first is to liberate their spy from under Galbadia's nose. Reports say they're holding him in Deling City, so we have to rescue him before we travel to Esthar where the real job begins. Second is to act as a security contingent, put in place to fend off attacks from Galbadian soldiers."

"So you're saying we're glorified bodyguards?" Irvine asked from his post against the wall. He looked at Squall, eyebrows knotted together above his eyes, "for who?"

"Who do you think, dork?" Selphie called, folding her arms in his direction, "Sir Laguna needs a hand! ... Right Squall?" the peppy brunette let loose a squeal of delight when Squall nodded. Cait stared at her, knowing full aware that Selphie had something a kin to a school girl crush on Esthar's president, although after hearing about him from Squall and Zell, she could only surmise that it was because the pair were so similar; a pair of giant goofballs. But, she thought, scratching the side of her head, if he was a world leader, why would he need SeeDs to defend him? She posed the question to Squall who shrugged.

"I suppose the president figures his soldiers are unable to work as well as we can. The five of us are being dispatched, and the intent is to leave tomorrow morning. We'll be traveling by car most of the way, so Cait, if you have a need for some more medication for your motion sickness, stock up." She nodded twice, mentally making a note of it. She had suffered from crippling motion sickness for as long as she could remember, and found a mixture of medication and para-magic was the only cure.

"Squall," Selphie began in a little voice, "you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes." The coldness in the Gunblader's voice indicated otherwise, even Cait could tell and it was enough to turn the deserts cold. Selphie looked down at her little hands in an unspoken apology.

"Sorry Selphie," he told her, raising a hand as affirmation, "I suppose I'm just a little tired." Selphie nodded, looking back at her commander, grinning. Squall managed to return the smile, "I trust you'll all be there by 0800 tomorrow morning, right?" there was a collective nod throughout the room, "excellent; dismissed."

When Cait parted with Zell and Irvine at her dormitory door, she crossed to her little bed and sat on it for a long minute. She stared up at the pale yellow wall, eyes coming to focus on the bright red hue of a Chakram. It hung against the wall with nails and brought a wave of immense sadness to Cait's chest. She squeezed her eyes closed, curling into herself; the weapon was a reminder- a memorial- for her late best friend. The GARDEN war took the cheerful brunette from right under her nose, at the pinnacle of the battle with Galbadia- with Seifer Almasy. A feral, irrational growl slipped past her pursed lips as she stood in a single movement, moving to her phone and dialling Hal.

She heard David's calm voice and sighed. She explained she was traveling to Esthar, where she knew they were currently staying.

"You'll love it here Cait," he told her, chuckling at her, "it's a lot busier than anywhere you've ever been."

"Hell, I'll take a mission almost anywhere at this point, so long as Rinoa doesn't follow, I might actually be able to relax for a change." David laughed and said his farewells. Just as Cait got off the phone, her stomach growled, reminding her that it had been hours since she had last eaten. "Dammit, all right, we're going!"


	2. Unrest

Selphie was, by no stretch of the imagination, a morning person. Until the rich, bitter coffee touched her tongue, she was a grouch. That wasn't to say she didn't know how to pretend to be cheery: it was a part of her job.

The truth was, it was hard for her to wake up because of the aches in her bones and muscles that kept were awake at night. In her coffee she added a red, medicinal herb that dissolved, and acted as a primal pain killer. One that lasted up to 16 hours and made her grin like a 4 year old that had eaten too much sugar.

She had packed her suitcase the night before, and checked it again now, double, and then triple checked that she had everything she needed for the trip to Esthar. The usual was in there: clothes, toiletries, a book or 2 to read at night, but she also included a camera, tourist books, and a translation guide in case she heard an unfamiliar phrase.

Not that her native Trabian language was all that different from Galbadian or Estharian, but on her last trip to the large city, some of the more colloquial terms had passed right over her dark head, and she had to turn to Zell or Irvine for advice.

One time she had been traveling with Squall and Rinoa and had turned to him to ask about a strange sign she had read, thinking that her quiet leader would be able to help, and she had found that Squall was just as confused as she was, his head tilted to one side in a confused manner.

"Rinoa, do you know what it means?" Selphie had asked the new sorceress, thinking that she would be able to offer an answer with a smile.

"Do I look like a tourist book Selphie?" Rinoa had snapped, causing Selphie to take a stunned step backwards, "I'm not here to be your guide to every phrase you can't understand! Galbadian isn't THAT hard to understand!"

It was that day Selphie had realized that Rinoa's powers had changed her somehow: the fact that Squall was her knight had made her possessive of the Gunblader, and turned her against any of the women traveling with her.

Rinoa's attitude had worsened as time went on. Even Squall was starting to lose patience with the pretty dark haired woman. The more paranoid Rinoa got, the crankier Squall became. More often than not these days, Squall was more agitated than a T-rexaur that had been woken from hibernation.

If the demanding manner in which Rinoa woke Squall up earlier this morning was any sign of his mood over the next few days, he knew the trip to at least Timber was going to be hellish for all who had to interact with Rinoa; and not just because she was whining and clicking her fingernails together in annoyance. As Squall leant against the electric blue GARDEN issue van, he knew that because of Cait's involvement with the mission, Rinoa was going to be less that co-operative. And that was being polite.

'A whining pathetic bitch,' he knew Cait and Selphie would say. But in truth they were biased to the negative, and these days, more than ever, Squall found himself agreeing.

Not to say he didn't carry some affection for the dark haired sorceress, who was glaring down the long hallway at the lone approaching figure. Squall pushed his weight away from the van, raising a gloved hand in a wave.

Cait approached the pair, Obelisk in one hand, the handle of her green travel bag in the other. Her cold hands curled around both as she caught the dark, narrowed eyes of Rinoa, annoyance building in her stomach. She turned her attention to Squall, giving him a look she knew he would understand; both girls had given it to him in the past.

"She asked me if we could take her to Timber on our way to Deling City," he tried to explain a moment later when Cait had drawn level with him, propping her weapon against the vehicle. He leant down to speak into her ear, "I couldn't exactly say 'no', could I?" Cait turned her eyes on him and shrugged.

"I would've," she retorted, voice as quiet as his had been, "you could've told me," she continued, in a huff now. Squall sighed.

"You left before I could- besides, it's not like she's going to be around forever, she's just traveling with us. There should be no issue." Delicate eyebrows rose in derision.

"Says you," she remarked, folding her slender arms over her purple jacket, "I know damn well that this is gonna be more trouble than it's worth."

"Well," Squall retorted, falling into the old habit of picking a useless argument with the feisty girl, "if you remembered to bring enough medication, you'll sleep for most of the trip." Cait blinked several times, biting her lower lip as she thought his statement through.

"Damn Squall, you right," she told him a moment later, and the taller released a breath he didn't know he was holding as Cait cocked her head to one side and shrugged her surrender, "guess I can't argue with your flawless logic."

Cait and Squalls friendly rivalry had grown as their friendship did. After meeting Zell and hearing about Squall's uptight and icy attitude, she was surprised when the pair had begun to bond; she discovered that not only was the so-called 'Cold Commander' funny, often leaving Cait in fits of laughter that brought tears to her eyes and confusion to his face, that he also held an innate sense for the fine arts. She had told him so, asking him to draw her a tattoo that she had inked into her shoulder blade on her last birthday- 3 black spirals to symbolize her elemental affinity. A smile came to Cait's face as she remembered the only time the pair had ever raced, circling the main halls of GARDEN, until Squall had almost broken Quistis' ankle as they rounded the library. He maintained he was winning at the time, and she never let him live it down. Of course, there were still certain things neither shared with the other, but theirs was a strong bond.

"Phew! Good thing I'm not the last one—Rinoa!"

Selphie stopped dead in her tracks, doubling over to catch her breath as Cait and Squall looked at each other, eyebrows raised in the same way.

"Selphie, you ARE late," Squall reprimanded her, glancing at his watch, "but Zell and Irvine still aren't here, so I'll let it slide… This time." Selphie glanced at him through her bangs and poked her tongue out at the pair.

"So what's Rinoa doing here?" Selphie asked Cait several minutes later as the pair loaded their suitcases into the further most end of the can. Cait shrugged, pushing Selphie's yellow case against Rinoa's oversized blue one.

"Leonhart said she wants to go to Timber," She offered. Selphie scratched her head in thought.

"That does sound like her… why didn't he say something earlier?"

"Because," a third voice interjected, "he knew you'd react like twelve year-olds."

Selphie squawked and Cait swore as they turned at the same time to look at Squall, who had a hand on his hip. "I understand that for various reasons, the two of you don't like Rinoa," Cait muttered something under her breath, and Squall scowled, "but it's only for as long as we're traveling to and from Timber; that's it." Cait didn't answer; she didn't have to. The three of them knew all too well that even just conversing to Rinoa about the spear-wielding girl meant trouble. In fact, more now than ever, conversing about any girl who wasn't Rinoa sent her into a fit of rage. And that included Selphie and Quistis.

Rinoa stared at Cait from her spot on the floor. She watched her and Selphie smile in unison (although she admitted that Cait's smile was something more like a smirk, which sent a flare of anger through her being) and flash Squall the peace sign. The rage told her that a sneak attack on the pair would be fun, but irresponsible. She needed Squall to stay with her, and Cait would be out of their lives before he would be out of hers.

Rinoa was aware in her mind that Cait, who she glared at as she pulled the boot door shut, was around to get into Squall's bed. What girls weren't these days? The hero of the second sorceress war was hot game, and everywhere he went, a gaggle of teenagers follow. Those she could endure, but she found it impossible to handle Squall letting one into his life- hell into their room!

Cait felt the daggers Rinoa was sending at her and turned on her heel ready to give the sorceress a piece of her mind, anger turning to amusement as Irvine and Zell pulled their bags up the hallway. Irvine was laughing at Zell, who looked rather annoyed, blonde hair falling into his eyes. Irvine's laughter died on his tongue as Zell glared up at him, eyes narrowed and mouth pursed. "What?" he asked, scratching the side of his head, confused, "I didn't throw you into the fountain, sweetheart!"

"It's about time you dorks turned up!" Selphie cried, no malice in her voice as she squashed Zell's retort. In its stead he threw another look in Irvine's direction before approaching Cait, who was muffling her laughter well enough to rake her fingers through the blonde's messy sopping hair. "We're gonna miss the train now cause of you two!" Selphie added.

"Sefie quit throwing a fit!" Irvine called over her as he pulled the sleeve of his tan jumper up his arm, "see? We've got heaps of time!" Selphie peered at Irvine's outstretched watch, head cocked to one side.

She was so focused on the ticking hands that she completely missed the hurt in her tall friend's eyes.

"You're still late," Squall told him. Irvine blinked, and then nodded, blue eyes intent on Cait and Zell, the former attempting to dry the blonde's hair with a singlet she had pulled from her little back pack. Zell laughed at her once and took the black article from her hands, throwing her an easy grin as he proceeded to run it along the top of his head, and then his arms.

Cait turned to face him, waving him and his belongings over. In the space of a few minutes they had wedged the boys more realistic sized suitcases into the back, forcing the boot closed with their shoulders. "So we're all set now?" Irvine asked, taking a deep breath as he rubbed his now aching limb.

"Seem to be," Squall replied, running his hands through his hair, "You're okay for the first six hours, right Cait?" She nodded and then made an indignant noise as Squall tossed the keys in Zell's direction. Zell caught them with a grin, and Cait stared at the pair of them, eyes wide.

"You're letting ZELL drive?" the blonde in question looked over at her, eyes narrowed, "what? I remember what happened last time."

"I got my license back last week," he said with a pout, "besides, that bird drove out onto the road, I wasn't about to squish it under the wheels, was I?"

"I still wished you'd warned me before you tried to kill me," she replied, defeated. But there was a little smile on her face as she approached the large door, which Irvine opened with a bow and a flourish.

"Your chariot," he teased as Cait levered herself in. She shook her head and ruffled his hair as she passed him. He whined his objection as he followed her in, oblivious to the glares Rinoa was giving the pair as she climbed into the front seat of the vehicle, resting her hands in her lap as she rolled her eyes. In the back of the van, Cait imitated Rinoa's imperial nature, making Irvine do everything bar stuffing his gloved hand into his mouth to keep from laughing.

"No, Irvy, I mean it," she began in a quiet high-pitched voice, "does this dress make my butt look big?" Squall looked over his shoulder from the middle bench seat, half a smile on his face, "Ooh, sorry Squally," she continued as Rinoa slammed the door closed, "I didn't mean to be such a giant pain in the—"

"Cait, please, just be nice," he told her, resting his arms on the top of the seat.

"Fine..." she said with a pout as Zell turned the ignition and the van screamed into life. Cait reached down to pull her boots from her feet, before sprawling herself along the seat, blue socked feet in Irvine's lap. She smiled at him and he nodded an innate understanding in their motions. Her eyes fluttered shut as Zell pulled out of the grounds, and with the combined effect of the anti-sickness medication and the muscle relaxant she had taken for her aching foot, she soon drifted into a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.

{}{}{}{}{}

Cait dozed on and off for the first day and a half of the trip, jerking awake when her dreams turned dark as they often did. Sleepy eyes turned towards Zell, who sat in the back of the van with her as they drove through the Galbadian desert. Heat waves rose from the dry ground around them and for a moment she wished she was outside, feeling the wind against her bare arms.

Every man, woman and child is born with an innate elemental affinity. Some people never discover it, and some do under moments of extreme stress or pain. Cait discovered her affinity to wind when she was 13, training in the Balamb plains with Jack. It had terrified her at the time, but in the 6 years since learning the ways that the wind could shift and rise when she was angry, she had used it in the ways she would have never before thought possible.

Some people's 'affins' made perfect sense, like Squall's icy demeanour and his glacial elemental manipulation, and then there were others like Selphie, who many would assume was affiliated with thunder and all things bright, but felt most at home with the earth under her little feet. More than once Cait had found her in the training centre, bare foot and dirt covering half her legs.

Cait's wind affinity had been part of the reason she had become dragoon trained. After she had crashed back to the ground Jack had been laughing out loud in surprise. She glared at him and the noise intensified. Once he calmed down he explained that he was a wind affin as well, and that most, if not all, dragoons used the air to leap high into the air.

It had been a surprise to John when the pair returned, windswept and laughing, proclaiming he suspected that she would have been a fire elemental like he was. "Your temper," he explained with a shrug, "most people with an angry streak like yours end up fire affins."

Cait had known from the day she had met Zell that he was a thunder affin- the air cracked with energy whenever he was the slightest bit annoyed.

"Are you feeling okay Caitie?" the thunderous blonde asked, raking his fingers through his hair as he looked at her. She nodded, yawning. "We'll get to Deling City in a few hours, we just went past the old Garden."

Galbadia Garden: after the war its halls remained abandoned, a monument to the errors of the western continents ways. The government would never admit it out loud, but allowing the Sorceress to take control of their ways 2 years ago had been their biggest failure to date- something they would never allow to happen again. It had only been a year since the new president had come into power, a stern man named Rhodes, who's one goal seemed to be to unite the world as one government.

Although, Cait decided as they drove on, his methods seemed at bit heavy handed.

Selphie was at the helm at the moment, wearing a white summer dress combined with black tights and her brown knee high boots. Irvine sat in the seat next to her, shoes missing in brown suede and a black shirt. His hair sat spiked to perfection, left alone from tampering Cait-hands. Squall scratched his denim clad leg, turning his attention to his companions behind him.

"Cait, can I have your laptop?" he asked, reaching his gloved hands over in an expectant fashion. He heard Cait grumble her assent as she rummaged through her black duffel in the furthermost compartment.

"Get your arse outta the way Caitie!" Selphie yelled down the length of the vehicle. As Cait 'aha'ed and wrenched the offending electrical object from her bag, she wiggled from side to side to further annoy her friend, "yes Caitie, you have a fine butt! Now MOVE IT!"

"I'm goin', I'm goin'," she called, righting herself in her seat. She handed the laptop to Squall who thanked her as he powered it up. "How much longer?" she asked Selphie as she lay across the seat, using Zell's track suited leg as a pillow. Zell chuckled as she got comfortable, moving the hand that was on his lap so it rested on Cait's waist.

"If we don't stop, we'll be there just before sunset," Squall answered for Selphie, who was ignorant to the question, fiddling with the car radio as she drove, "is that them?" he asked as Cait grunted and sat up, looking over the seat at her desktop.

"Yup, that's them- taught me everything I know," she replied, watching the screen with a smile.

The image was the only one of its kind- taken before the world had gone to hell and back. Cait stood in the middle, mouth half open as she barked instruction at the photographer. Jack flat out refused to be in the picture, but had agreed to take this one for her student. To Cait's left were 2 tall men who looked alike; John and David were cousins and had grown up as brothers. John was seven years older than David- 10 years older than Cait- and larger around the chest. His arm was around Cait's waist, a furrow in his thick brow.

To the right stood Hal and Isaac. Technology savvy Hal had a hand on the back of his mop of light brown hair, a delicate flush on his pale cheeks. Isaac alone was smiling at the camera, green eyes shining in the sun.

Squall seemed pleased with his recollection, and opened a game of solitaire as Cait laid back down against Zell's knees.

Cait remembered that day with a smile- it had taken weeks to convince them to take the day off and travel to Balamb beach. Jack had wanted to say no, but had taken one look at the girl's face and had conceded. He layered himself in sunscreen, but still managed to get burnt by the sun.

They had all come back to Garden with varying degrees of sunburn that day, but none worse than Isaac, who was a violent shake of red for 4 days. Cait had been the one to look after him, running cold baths and slathering his back with lotion while the others picked on him.

"Hell, at least I get to have a girl give me a rub down!" he had shot at them, winking at Cait the way he often would.

Only a few months after that day the Garden went mobile and the garden battle happened. Cait and Isaac had been sent across and-

Cait shook her head hard, shaking the memory, trying to focus on the memory of the sun, the way David tossed her into the waves like she was a leaf, laughing at her indignant face when she re-surfaced, hair covering half her face.

Zell's hand squeezed her waist, reminding her where she was, and she turned to smile up at him, grateful for his steady presence. "Go back to sleep Caitie," he instructed, giving her a stern look when she opened her mouth, "I'll wake you when we get there." She nodded and closed her eyes, allowing good memories wash over her as she dozed off.


	3. Breezy

CHAPTER THREE: BREEZY 24/6 (FRIDAY)

"Do you see him Cait?"

Cait blinked her dry eyes, glancing from one screen to the next, searching for any signs of the president's man on the inside, "would help if I knew who I was looking for," she grumbled, as she continued her search.

It was the worst cliché in the book- a van parked just outside the presidential complex, pre-fitted with all the technology Cait would need to find the target.

They had chosen to wait a day before attempting an extraction. The group had settled into Deling City's smallest motel just after nightfall, sitting around a small coffee table as they discussed potential plans of action. They had little information on the target's location, and even less information of who he or she was. It was Selphie who brought it up, asking only one question.

"What are we meant to do?"

There was a long moment of silence as they considered the answer to the little brunette's question, Irvine finding the answer.

"We ask Laguna- it's his inside man, he's the one who should be able to help."

Squall had contacted the president the following morning after a collective rough night's sleep. To be a discreet as possible they had all chosen to sleep in one double room, Cait crammed into a double bed with Zell and Irvine, who both liked to spread out as far as they could, covering Cait in arms and legs. The five of them had consumed more than their share of coffee that morning as they prepared for the extraction.

"You'll know him when you see him," Laguna had said when Squall had posed the question. His answer had caused the young commander to sigh and pinch his scarred nose bridge as he hung up.

"Just keep looking for…" Squall trailed off, leaning towards one of the monitors, "it can't be... Almasy?"

There was no mistaking the mass of pixels on the screen. Seifer Almasy was over six feet tall, bulky with muscles hunched in fatigue. Cait heard Squall pull out a phone to contact the others, but found her eyes glued to the image, a phantom pain threatening to overwhelm her. A hand drifted up, tracing a line between her breasts as the figure on the screen opened his mouth in what she could only assume was a cry of pain.

"We have to move fast," Squall's voice brought Cait back to herself, dark eyes turning to the commander, "if we leave him there they'll kill him." Their eyes met for a moment and Squall's narrowed, "whatever's going through your head, now's not the time. He's the mission, the rest we'll deal with later," a pause, "Cait?"

She sighed, defeated, "What do you need me to do?"

In theory, it was a simple extraction. . Cait and Irvine were the least recognizable, the sharpshooter having lost his trademark locks, so Squall had decided they would go in to locate the spy and sneak him out the employee exit, where Selphie would be waiting with the van.

Getting in was the easy part; President Rhodes was visiting the desert prison, and the majority of his security team was with him. They bypassed the half a dozen guards and reached the storage room Seifer was being held in, Irvine hunched as he picked the lock.

Cait didn't know what she was going to do when she came face to face with Seifer- there was so much the others didn't know, couldn't know yet, not until she was sure. Sure of the kind of person he was, and sure that she could reconcile that with the person he had been.

For the briefest moment it was pity for his current situation- captured and beaten bloody by one or more of the president's goons. Irvine woke him up, untying the ropes from his wrists as he moaned.

The sound of his voice shot Cait right back to that day- the bullets, the screams, the blood—

She shook her head, trying to shake the memory as Irvine helped the blonde to his feet, glancing at Cait with inquisitive eyes. "You okay?" he mumbled, turning towards the open door. Seifer groaned a protest, and dread settled in Cait's stomach. "Get the pistol from my rib," Irvine directed, repeating himself when Cait stared at him. "In case we get seen," he explained as she pulled the gun from the leather holster. "Caitie?" Irvine's blue eyes narrowed, sensing uneasiness in his comrade.

Cait was resolute, "later Irvine, let's get out of here."

{}{}{}{}{}

The sun was rising as the van pulled up to the bridge connecting Galbadia and Esthar. Selphie pulled the van over and surveyed the damage, shaking her head at the blood that had dried down Cait's face. Only a fraction of it was hers, drawn from just above her eyebrow.

The path out of the building they kept Seifer in had been blocked by 2 solid guards. One she managed to take out with Irvine's tranquilizer pistol, but the second moved before she could get the shot off, head butting her brow with all his strength. Her retaliation had been quick, despite the blood gushing into her eye and down her cheek and the second guard was thrown to the ground, groaning as Cait moved back to Irvine and Seifer, taking the blonde's arm and draping it over her shoulders, focusing on the job at hand

There had been a wound down Seifer's side they hadn't found at first, and once they had dumped him in the back of the van with Zell, Cait had realized that her face and neck were sticky with fresh blood.

Irvine followed the dragoon as she wandered some 50 meters away from the vehicles and the others, pulling her bloodstained shirt over her head. He watched the way her shoulders tensed as she sensed someone behind her, and he reassured her as she made to turn around.

"What do you want Irvine?" she sat in the grass, drawing her knees up to her chest, allowing the early morning sun to warm her back. The sharpshooter say next to her, folding his arms atop his knees and resting his cheek against them, watching Cait with curious blue eyes.

"You hesitated last night," it wasn't a question, and Cait shrugged at him, "I won't say anything to Squall, I just wanna know why."

"Seifer tried to kill me- during the war," Irvine blinked, sitting up as he watched Cait slump, "damn near succeeded too."

~Flashback~

It had come on quicker than anyone had ever suspected. Squall had announced the attack, and Cait had enough time to throw on a white shirt and grab her spear before she raced to the front gate to prepare the guard. By the time she got there, hell had already descended; more than a thousand of Galbadia's Soldier's swarmed upon the area, killing and being killed in the same manner.

Children killing grown men. Men killing children; it was twisted, and at that moment, Cait had wondered why she ever decided to become a SeeD.

Isaac was there too, throwing his Chakram around like he was killing monsters, downing men and stowing their weapons for later use. They fought guarding each other's back, his icy presence a welcome comfort against her back, like they had done since the day they met. Cait had made her first kill at fourteen, cutting a man's femoral artery with her first spear- a spear she later threw into the ocean for its crimes. But now, with her red spear in her hand, killing felt to commonplace, so simple.

Too simple. Xu called her and Isaac over after the second wave of attack, along with another boy of similar age, Jason Myers. A wiry redhead wielding a stolen Galbadia sword and a contemptuous look etched into his pale face.

"You have been sanctioned for a black op." Xu explained, head held high despite the deep cut down her cheek, "Commander Leonhart has given us permission to send a group in to take down Seifer Almasy."

The rebel; the cause of this hell. The reason fifteen year olds were coated in blood of others. Cait knew him from her time spent wiring various rooms for them; she dealt with the dopey brute more than the blonde, but they had interacted on several occasions, and not once did she think him capable of any of this- arrogant, yes, but never borderline psychotic. "Are you sure?" Isaac asked, tilting his head to one side, causing his copper hair to fall into his bright eyes. Those eyes turned to Cait as Xu turned, bestowing her with one of his silent smiles.

"The Commander's orders are still orders," she replied, voice stern, "there isn't much time; Holloway?" Isaac stood to attention, blood from his weapons dripping onto his black boots, "you are to lead this operation; Myers will plant the appropriate plastic explosives, to which White will detonate remotely. DON'T let Almasy see you, otherwise you can consider yourself dead." The trio nodded, and Cait reached into the front pocket of her camo pants, muscles relaxing as she touched the small tablet sitting there. "Take a moment to gather the required equipment, and then move out!"

Sneaking on to Galbadia's mobile base was easier than Cait had ever expected. One of the causeways led to the dormitories, which for the most part were deserted. Cait snuck into one of the unlocked rooms and downloaded a map to her computer, sighing at the only obstacle; a giant drop between the track and baseball field to the tennis courts; she could take it without thought, but neither man had any training in how to land without snapping their ankles. So they ventured into open space, hoping against hope their presence remained unknown.

"It's too quiet," Isaac muttered, weapons drawn but hanging in his fingers. In all the fighting, it seemed that his white singlet had remained spatter free. Cait looked him up and down, wanting nothing more than to reach out for his hand and squeeze it, loosening the tense muscles in her arms and making her feel safe in this foreign territory.

The shot rang out after the bullet had ripped through the air, penetrating his chest, just below his right collarbone. Isaac fell to bended knee, crying out once in rage and pain the air turning cold, as Cait's fingers fell numb, his icy eyes scanning the area, moments before the second bullet pierced his right eye, causing blood to our out over his shirt and the rubber ground. "Get him out of range!" Cait yelled at Jason, waiting the split second as the man hoisted Isaac over his shoulder before she caught sight of movement, launching her spear in his direction. She didn't' wait to see if the blow stuck before she headed towards the dugout, pulling Isaac's head was into her lap, his blood coated hand covering his mutilated eye. When Cait realized that he had ceased to draw breath, everything condensed into three feeling; Sadness, overwhelming, anger, detaching her from the situation, and clarity, for she knew what she had to do next.

"Myers," she began, voice choked, but fierce, "you need to get back to base- you can make it out of here if you move fast."

"But… what about you?" she turned to face him, face dashed with blood and a lone tear, and he knew; she was going to find a nice place to die. "I can't let you!"

"Of course you can," she replied, "someone needs to get back; it may as well be you. I'm gonna find the scum that did this before I go out, don't you worry about that." They nodded in unison, and with a less than formal salute, Jason peeked his head out from the dugout, and sprinted away. Cait turned back to her best friend's corpse, collapsing into a fit of sobs so sharp her chest began to ache. "I swear it; I'm going to kill Seifer Almasy with my own two hands." A fresh sob came over her, and her eyes misted, "I hate to leave you here… but you'd want it like this, wouldn't you?" As if he were sleeping, she lifted his head off her legs, setting him against the ground. Before turning to leave, she leant down, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and then his cold, still lips, unresponsive. Her comrade, her best friend, murdered, dead in a war. A senseless, spiteful war, with no gain, only loss.

In the end, the soldiers had found Cait before she found Seifer. She leapt from the two story ledge, landing like she always had in training, with almost no pain; she suspected that was because of the adrenaline, or the idea that her life wouldn't be lasting much longer. A Lieutenant shot her at close range with his assault rifle, and brought her to the Commanding officer himself.

Cait awoke, groggy and sticky. Blood from Isaac and the soldier's she had killed setting in her clothes and on her face. Damp liquid flowed from the wound in her right arm, the pain crippling any escape options. The pain that had vanished with adrenaline had returned with a vengeance, sending signals to her brain, wanting her to scream out loud.

Which she seemed to do; the Galbadian commander turned on booted heel, taking only three strides to reach his destination; the gleaming black blade of his Gunblade. Another three and he was at Cait's side, talking for almost a minute before lashing out, steel-capped toe connecting with the edge of Cait's jaw; she felt the bone shift and she hissed through her teeth, resisting the urge to cry out again. A bare hand reached out, taking slender throat in its grasp before lifting her up with a strength she didn't think possible. Or was it possible because she had given up fighting?

"Scream, you little bitch!" he hissed, shadows falling away from his face to reveal a puckered scar and green eyes, tinged with malice, and flecked with gold.

Ultimecia's puppet; Seifer Almasy. She spat his name, wetting his face with traces of her blood, and he snarled, throwing her roughly against the concrete wall like she was doll. Pain lashed her body, threatening blackness again, but Cait refused to give in, blinking away the dark spots as he approached, coat billowing out behind him. Cait expected another death grip but found herself pressed against the cool edge of Hyperion's blade. He kicked with the strength to break a rib and wind her; Cait coughed, gulping in air as she avoided emitting any sounds. "don't ever speak my name!" he bellowed, laughing as the blade came down, cutting through Cait's black shirt, and the first three layers of skin, from collar bone to the underside of her right breast. She screamed that time, feeling the blood pour from her at an alarming rate. "That's all you had to do," he told her, like he would a small child, shaking his blonde head, "but you've seen my face- you can't be allowed to live." The blade returned to her throat, and she sensed the end rushing her bones in a sickening and terrifying way.

"Sir!?" Seifer turned, blade drifting away, giving Cait the required second to cast a 'Curaga' upon herself, repairing the damaged blood vessels, but not the laceration itself. As soon as she moved it would begin to bleed again, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. Knife in hand she moved, rising and twisting the weapon, cutting Seifer from elbow to shoulder, forcing more blood onto her clothes; she scoffed, placing a kick into the back of his knees.

"It's your turn to scream, bitch," she shot, waiting one second too long before running; he rose, turned and shot twice with a concealed pistol, once high, and once low. A second bullet joined the first in her arm, and the second staked its claim in her leg.

"Stay down, tiny."

~End Flashback~

"If it hadn't been for John, I would have been dead that day," Cait finished her story, glancing up at the blue sky, trying to forget the fear she had seen in her mentor's eyes, blinking away the tears that followed the memory, "I've dealt with Isaac's death the best I can, but I'll never forget what Seifer did to me- sorceress influence or not."

Irvine sighed, contemplating the pain in his friends face before forming his answer. "I've known Seifer for a long time, and I'm not gonna lie to you- he was an asshole of a kid. Picked on everyone, but I don't believe he's capable of the things that happened during the war- not without some kind of psychological manipulation. Asshole? Yes, cold blooded killer? No way in hell." Cait sighed

"How do you know that Irvine?" she dropped the bloody shirt she had been ringing in her hands and reached for the clean black singlet she had brought with her to change into, "who's to say that violent tendency didn't stick after the sorceress died?" How could she make Irvine understand the fear clawing at her insides? She had ignored it for the job last night, but in the morning sunshine she could see the scar on her chest as if it were fresh. Sections of it were hidden by her black sports bra, but she could feel it burning the way it used to when it was healing 2 years ago.

It was too much to contemplate. In two swift movements, Cait threw on the singlet and stood, breaking into a jog as she approached the van, shrugging Zell's curious hand away as she rounded the back of the vehicle where Seifer was conscious, albeit bruised and battered. She was careful to reign in her emotions as she asked the others to take a walk. "Cait?" Squall asked, folding his arms.

"Seifer and I have a few things to catch up on," she answered, glaring down at the big man, who in return looked bemused. They watched the others head towards Irvine and Cait wheeled back around on Seifer, dark eyes narrowed. "You think everyone's going to be as accepting as they are? That just because you say you've changed that it means anything? Good people died because of you- hell, I almost died because of you! Do you think that just goes away?!"

"Of course not."

Cait had expected some degree of uncertainty from the bruised blonde. He glared at her through one un-swollen green eye, "I don't need the third degree from you tiny. I hear it in my head every damn day I wake up."

"At least you get to wake up."

He could feel the grief radiating from the brunette stranger in front of him in airy waves. Something about her face awakened a fuzzy memory in the recesses of his mind, but when he went to reach for it, it slipped away. The girl's face changed and for a moment he wondered if she was going to hit him.

To his, and her, surprise she sat down next to Seifer and offered her hand. "My names Cait," she said, waiting for the blonde to shake her hand. He did with hesitation, shocked by the strength in her little grip. "I know almost nothing about you, other than your part in the war. I'm willing to learn if you're willing to let me. But for now I plan to escort you to Esthar, and once we get there I'll make up my mind about you."

"Deal."

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Several hours later after a makeshift breakfast the group were on the bridge, driving at a steady pace towards fisherman's horizon. Cait had made sure to sit as far away from Seifer as possible, riding up front next to Zell, who had been ordered to drive.

"He's had the most sleep," Squall spat as he settled himself in the back of the van with Seifer, folding his arms as he attempted to get comfortable.

The tattooed blonde glanced over at Cait, who was sitting as still as she could, given the speed they were travelling, eyes closed against the world. "Caitie?" he noticed the slightest twitch of an eyebrow, but she didn't open her eyes as she answered his next question.

"Mediating, Zell," she replied, focusing on the bumps under her seat as they moved, "Jack taught me how to centre myself when things are too much to cope with."

It had been Jack's greatest achievement when it came to Cait. As a young student she was quick to anger, bristling when she felt hard down by. To everyone's surprise, Jack was patient with Cait, never shouting, just shooting her a hard glare and leading her to the training centre. After they had trained themselves to exhaustion they would sit in silence, back to back with their eyes closed, allowing the quiet to soak through their senses and bring them back to a calm centre.

Cait's current centre was disturbed by the car around her veering to the right as Zell cursed. Her eyes shot open, taking in the pack of Adamantoise blocking their path.

"Just great," she mumbled. Fight mode was like a light switch to Cait, it erased all fatigue from her body as she reached under the seat for Obelisk, surging from the car to join the fray.

Squall and Irvine had leapt from the car, taking on an Adamantoise of their own, Squall taking a well-timed swipe at the leader of the back with Lionheart just as Irvine shot at the same with his sleek silver shotgun. Cait winced as the balls of her feet made contact with the cold metal of the train tracks, readying her spear in her hands. As she stood next to Zell, who was bouncing from foot to foot in preparation, a fire grew in her brown eyes that mean pain for the next thing that attacked her.

"Are your feet gonna be okay?" Selphie asked, glancing at what she could see of Cait's feet from under the loose black pants as they both readied an attack. Cait nodded, pushing the sleeves of her white jumper past her elbows before taking a running leap into the air, using the split second she stayed level to choose which one to target. She began her descent, choosing the furthest in the back as her prey, landing on its back as the tip of her spear slid under the protective shell, listening to it as it howled in pain as muscle and bone tore apart. The creature lost its footing, hitting the ground with a hard, dull thump as Cait hopped from its back, landing on her left foot. She grimaced, watching Zell who was waiting for Irvine to take the kill shot of the runt he had knocked unconscious. The red-head did, blowing the smoke Exeter exuded away from the barrel. Selphie knocked one in the face with her flail, cackling as it fell backwards, dead.

"Well that was simple enough," Squall said with a sigh, turning back towards the car where Seifer stood, weapon-less, unsure of what to do. "Don't sweat it Almasy, we've got it covered."

"You okay Caitie?" Cait turned towards Selphie, plastering a bright smile on her face as she nodded once, making her way to the door on the other side.

"I'm not movin' from here!" she announced, sitting in Squall's former seat, next to which her laptop was open. She shut it and watched Selphie climb into the front seat, next to Irvine who was taking over driving duty. He had wanted to talk to Zell some more on the rest of their trip, but resigned himself to silence, slamming his own door. Zell threw his friend a sympathetic look. The red-head wound down the window, and let his hand drop out the side, where Zell grasped it for a moment before climbing over the seats to the back next to Seifer, who was staring out the window.

Squall stood alone outside the van for a few moments in quiet thought; his ever-moving mind went to Esthar, on the other end of the train tracks, and the mission they would face there; the protection of Laguna. He knew instinctively that it was just a job; take the hit, do the deed and leave. But his heart, (and against his own will, his mind too) knew that the president was going to use this time to bond, to get to know the man. To follow him around for days on end asking stupid questions… he sighed, for the first time since taking the mission, unsure if he could fulfil it.

"Hey Leonhart, get in already, we haven't got all day!" Squall blinked twice, coming out of his thoughts. With a quick sigh and a shake of his head he walked over to the van and took the seat next to Cait, who was massaging her left foot. The brunette pulled the door closed and Irvine started the van again.

"Are you all right?" Squall asked Cait as Zell leant over the seat, taking the red laptop in both hands. He grinned at the pair before disappearing again, humming without tune.

"I'm dandy, as always," Cait replied, grimacing as she tweaked a particularly sensitive spot. Squall reached over, pulling the completely bare, swollen foot into his lap, kicking off his own shoes as he began to massage the appendage, "what are you—"

"What do you think?" he replied, not looking away from his work. Cait shrugged at him, smirking as she noticed the way the edge of his tongue poked from under his top lip as he concentrated, "problem?" he looked at her, grey eyes unreadable. Cait shook her head and he nodded, "didn't think so." He turned his attention back to Cait's foot and she looked over at Zell, who was staring at his friend, fascinated. Her eyes turned towards Seifer, who sat mute, mouth open in surprise.

Cait knew the others had always seen Squall as a hard bastard. None of them could figure out the cause of his changes since the neo-sorceress war. The common belief was that Rinoa had drawn him from his shell, taught him to be human, but Cait saw him pull further and further into himself when she was around. Zell guessed one day that because Cait was so much like him, the pair had forged a bond and SHE had taught Squall to interact with the others. They argued and fought as rivals did, and because Squall had a new adversary, he spent more time away from his office and Rinoa- that was why he had instated his blonde friend as the headmistress; so that they could both have some free time. But as he began to spend it with his friends more than his knight's charge, Rinoa often flew into irrational fits of rage that almost always culminated in a clash of blows. Cait always told them that she could handle the sorceress herself, that she didn't need three extra sets of hands holding her back. Squall had told her she was being just as childish as Rinoa, and that she needed to learn some humility. She watched him at work for several moments, wondering if he would have been doing this if they hadn't met when they did.

"Hey lookit!" Irvine called over the upbeat song on the radio, "I can see Esthar!"

"Woo-hoo!" Selphie cried, "So how much longer?" Cait turned her attention away from their target to look around at her, calculating it in her head.

"A little while yet," she decided, hissing as Squall hit a tender spot, for which he apologized , "s'okay," she told him as she watched Selphie reach over the chair for a black CD case, "what are you doing Selphie?" she asked, watching her grin, "oh good God, no!"


End file.
